Highway blocked: Thousands of Israelis spontaneously protest against the government

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There, a day after a similar ram attack, a car drove into a crowd, slightly injuring a protester, police said. The driver was subsequently arrested. Media reported that he was frustrated with the traffic jam.

The protest was sparked by the resignation of Tel Aviv’s popular police chief. Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir had demanded that he take firm action against participants in the months-long demonstrations against the government and its planned judicial reforms. Ami Eshed refused because he said he did not want to use “unreasonable force”. Ben-Gvir and Israeli Police Chief Kobi Shabtai planned to transfer him to another department. Ashed refused.

Protesters also blocked roads in other cities across the country. Police used water cannons to disperse them. A woman has been injured in clashes with security forces in Jerusalem. In the capital, dozens of people marched to the home of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

At the rally in Tel Aviv, in which between 20,000 and 30,000 people took part, according to broadcaster Kan, protesters set fires in several blocked streets. The police clearly struggled to restore order. Several people were arrested.

The government resumes a pause in the restructuring of the judicial system, which aims to weaken the country’s highest court. Since then, anti-government demonstrations have gained momentum again. The government accuses the judges of excessive interference in political decisions. Critics see the separation of powers and the democratic order in danger.

In addition to the controversial judicial reform that divides society, Israel currently faces other challenges. The Israeli army completed only its largest operation in the West Bank in 20 years on Wednesday night. After airstrikes, about a thousand soldiers entered the city of Jenin on Monday evening to destroy “terrorist infrastructure” there. They exchanged violent fire with armed Palestinians.

Command centers and weapon depots belonging to militant Palestinians were destroyed during the operation. But roads, cars, power and water pipes were also damaged.

Thousands gathered after the departure of the Israeli soldiers for the burial of some of those killed in the operation. At least 12 Palestinians and one Israeli soldier were killed in the operation. According to the Israeli army, the Palestinians killed were militants. More than 100 Palestinians were also injured.

Rockets then flew out of the Gaza Strip on Wednesday evening and the Israeli army responded with airstrikes on the closed-off coastal area. Also on Tuesday, a Palestinian attacker drove into a crowd in Tel Aviv, injuring at least seven people. The ruling Hamas in the Gaza Strip spoke of a “reaction” to the events in Jenin.

The security situation in Israel and the West Bank has long been tense. Since the beginning of the year, two dozen people have been killed in attacks by Palestinians. During the same period, more than 150 Palestinians were shot during violent clashes, Israeli military operations or after their own attacks.

During the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The Palestinians claim both areas as part of their own state. However, a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict, which has been going on for decades, seems far away.

(SDA)

Source: Blick